Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, T.D.: Demand the resignation of Eddie Shaw as chairman of school board

Eddie Shaw has directed teachers to distribute abortion leaflets to young children in class, prompting children as young as 5 to ask their parents what abortion is. This is entirely unacceptable in our schools, using children to push the anti-abortion agenda of the Church.

Regardless of whether the Catholic Church is against abortion, it is ENTIRELY unacceptable to bring this debate to young children in their place of education, and at all.

Eddie Shaw is a former spokesman for retired archbishop of Dublin Cardinal Desmond Connell, and is now chairman of a Catholic primary school board in south Co Dublin.

Mr Shaw’s distributed of leaflets to children at the Harold School in Glasthule promoting the Vigil for Life rally in Dublin on June 8th.

Minutes of the meeting state that “on Friday the 7th of June, a notice for a pro-life vigil was put in the bags of three classes. The leaflets were intended for every bag in the school but some teachers either chose not to put them in and others forgot.

One parent of a five-year-old was asked by the child what an abortion was and felt deeply annoyed to have been put in that position.

Mr Shaw told the meeting he should have put the leaflets in an envelope, which is to miss the point entirely.

We demand the resignation of Eddie Shaw after this disgraceful behaviour and continued lack of understanding as to why this is utterly unacceptable.